This invention relates to a slide for a life-line allowing displacement along a life-line.
Such a slide constitutes an intermediate element between a life-line generally formed by a cable retained at several points by support elements anchored in a fixing surface and a harnessing system worn by a person, such as a worker working on a site where there is a risk of accidental falling.
The slide is guided along the life-line and is connected, by cable or by rope in particular, to a harness or belt worn by the individual to be made secure.
The slide may also serve to move heavy objects along the life-line.
The document FR-A-2,813,800 discloses a slide for a life-line, comprising a moving jaw, delimiting with a fixed jaw a duct for its guidance on a cable.
According to this prior art, means are provided for controlling the opening of the jaw in order to raise the slide on the cable and for completely closing the jaw if a tractive force is exerted in a handle designed to be connected by a reinforced link.
In this device the handle serving to connect the slide to the person exhibits an articulation around an axis parallel with the axis of the cable, following a limited amplitude.
WO-A-02/092171 also discloses a slide that moves in translation along a life-line and has a body delimiting a guide passage for the life-line cable.
A handle is permanently and immovably mounted on the body.
The applicant has observed that such slide configurations suffered from numerous disadvantages, particularly from the practical point of view.
In fact a resistance to sliding along the life-line, even a risk of locking, is observed in practice, for example at the intermediate supports of the life-line cable due to the tractive force exerted by the operator on the handle, which tends to swivel the latter, and hence the entire slide, giving it an orientation which is not parallel with the life-line.
Therefore very localized surfaces on the edge of the guide duct come into contact with the life-line cable, producing high concentrations of stresses generating friction and presenting risks of locking.
It will also be observed that according to the state of the art, if the user wishes to maneuver on the other side of the life-line, he must necessarily disconnect the slide from the life-line, move on the other side of the life-line, and finally re-secure himself to the cable.
All these operations are not secure, which presents a substantial disadvantage.